D.C. United stadium in Rockville? Not likely

Over the weekend, I received a juicy tip that D.C. United President Kevin Payne and General Manager Dave Kasper had met with a city councilman from Rockville, Md., to tour RedGate Golf Course, a financially troubled municipal venue ripe for development, as a possible stadium site.

Finally, I thought, the long wait is over, United just might be able to abandon crumbling RFK Stadium and move into a place of its own, just as so many of its MLS counterparts have done in recent years. It would not be the ideal location, by any means -- seven miles outside the Beltway, traffic and parking issues, more than a mile from the closest Metro station -- but a location nonetheless. And after the Poplar Point proposal fizzled and the sure-thing Prince George's County project collapsed, the club and its supporters would surely embrace any concrete plan.

United officials did acknowledge that Payne and Kasper had, indeed, met with the councilman -- a breakthrough! The Rockville mayor and director of recreation and parks told the Insider that they were aware of the course tour and meeting -- aha!

Of note: The councilman initiated the conversation and, out of curiosity, United decided to take a look.

Commenting on United's search in general, spokesman Doug Hicks said: "We continue to meet with officials from various jurisdictions in the area."

In a recent interview, Payne said that the club is exploring two locations in Washington and awaiting the release of a feasibility study concerning a possible project in Baltimore. United has also talked with developers in Northern Virginia, but the political and economic climate would make the state a remote possibility.

Gray has since retracted his supportive statements of a DCU stadium. City Paper had a story on it last week. I know longer blame "local officials" for not getting this done. No local goverments publically support a stadium but FOs around the country seems to manage...all accept this one of course.

As someone that doesn't live very far from Redgate, I was already saving up for season tickets! Oh, well.

Seriously, is the Stadium not THE biggest issue facing the future of DC United? Without a new stadium soon, it won't matter what DPs are signed, who is the coach, or even who is the GM. The team won't last in the DC area more than 3-5 years without firm plans for a new staidum before then, in my humble opinion.

Think of all of the jobs this stadium could create! Think of all of the uninsured construction workers and architects that would be covered! Think of the shorter distances the Rockville Mercedes, Escalades and Jags will be driving, as opposed to RFK! And the stadium could double is a migrant worker day laborer site!

But no, the people of Rockville need to play golf.

There HAS to be a way to guilt these bleeding hearts into building a stadium.

C'mon Fischy, fallschurch1, croftonpost... help us out here. Any suggestions?

I don't even blame the FO, unless you want me to blame them for not having an extra $150m-$200m laying around. It's just a tough situation to get a stadium built, period, and each market has its own challenges. Ours is arguably the toughest - 3 jurisdictions, no real need for massive economic development, an existing stadium that we already have to ourselves, stadium fatigue following the Nats, and a crowded sports market.

stig1: I'll be at many of those games, if not a season ticket holder. thanks!
....can't was just get the VW stadium over with - attach it to their HQ, put a race track around it for the annual VW turbo diesel race (so it's dual use), and blammo! It's what the people want!

Dougmacintyre: actually, the stadium *isn't* the biggest issue for DCU's future. A related and more important issue is Will Chang's search for additional investors. With more (local) investors, a stadium deal becomes more likely for a number of reasons. Without them, financing will be almost impossible.

This is the reasoning that Chang has expressed on more than one occasion.

The article from the Gazette that was linked doesn't seem all that definitive to me. This doesn't mean a soccer stadium will appear or get public subsidies either, just that it doesn't seem like a forgone conclusion that Redgate will continue as before...

Rand - doesn't seem like you spend much time in Rockville, perhaps confusing it with Potomac, or Fairfax County, with your comments about the cars. Not sure about the rest of the comment, a joke? Simply trying to provoke your political opponents on this soccer site? Either way, not up to your usual standard.

Thor, it should be clear, from previous comments of mine, which I'm sure you have archived, that I'm not in favor of public financing for sports stadiums.

For example, see my famous comment along the lines of, "If it is such a good investment for the public, then how come some profit-minded investor has not come along and snapped it up?" Brilliant, ain't it?

The ball is in your court -- tell us how Chang deserves public help, i.e. welfare for the rich, because he has obviously worked harder than the rest of us.

I recall either you or OWNTF admonishing us lefties that just because you/he are/is conservative, doesn't mean he favors public subsidies for this sort of thing . . . I'll give it to OWNTF, must have been him.

I wish VW would just pay for the thing and build it. Honestly, it would be a good investment, wouldn't it?? Shouldn't you be able to get a decent return on a nice SSS somewhere in metro (blanking) DC??? Between United and, say, Scorpions concerts?

You'll wind up in some stadium that's full time filth and nowhere left to go
Come home to an empty house, running around all by yourselves
I know it might sound strange, but I believe we'll be coming back before too long.
Nothing left but Rockville, nothing left but Rockville, nothing left but Rockville
Cause we may only have a year :)

Nah, the silly nickname that I was given and just sort of stuck hasn't got anything to do with politics. The worst part is when people ask me if I am a NY yankees fan (hate that team with a passion)...

I also saw a post on BigSoccer a day or two ago to the effect that the issuance of the Maryland Stadium Authority feasibility study on a Baltimore site has been put off till October - wonder if United brass asked them to keep it under their hats a bit longer to avoid messing up STH renewals for 2011 - the deadline for renewal at the 5% discount is 1st November and the absolute deadline for renewal at whatever the full 2011 rate will be is 17th December.

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